Shopping for brocatelle products in Highlands

One of the most famous products in the mountainous area of the northeast is brocatelle which is made by minority group of people such as H’Mong, Dao, Tay and Nung.

Market day in Sapa, Muong Hum, Coc Ly  is organized every weekend and are hotspots for tourists who are keen to find brocatelle products at a good price, if they can master the haggling process. If the products don’t fit you, the sellers promise to fix it to your liking in less than 15 minutes. Each brocatelle will cost around US$5 while handkerchiefs cost less.

 

Minority people sell a piece of brocatelle at the market 

 

Multicolored brocatelle handbags are mostly made by H’Mong people - Photos: Pham Thai

 

Young people run to Sapa to see snow

Young people have been flocking to Sapa for the New Year to experience the snow that has fallen this year.

 

The snow started at 11am on December 30 on the O Quy Ho mountain pass, which is approximately 2,000 metres above from the sea level.

At 5pm, the temperature in this area fell below 0 degree celsius, and dense mist and drizzle being turned into thin ice that covered the area, making transportation really difficult.

This type of weather, while not common, occasionally occurs in the highest mountains in the north during winter. The last time this was recorded was in 2008, and brought with it huge losses for farmers in the area.

Still, the snowfall itself attracts tourists to the Sapa area, many of whom have never seen snow before.

This year hundreds of visitors from other cities and provinces rushed to O Quy Ho to enjoy the beauty of the sleet and snow and take photos.

According to the Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, the snow and sleet will continue for the next couple days.

DTiNews reporter took photos of the O Quy Ho Mountain Pass on December 30 afternoon.

Grilled dishes attract tourists in Sapa

Coming to Sapa, apart from its splendid landscapes, tourists will be attracted by Sapa’s specialties such as grilled salmon, barbecued wild pork, smoked pork and fried mushroom with meat as well as many tasty vegetarian dishes.

 

A view of Sapa Church in Sapa Town in Lao Cai Province 

Of course, grilled dishes are available everywhere, but enjoying that particular treat in the chill of the mountainous area and immense view of terraced rice fields and the magnificence of mountains and hills is an amazing experience. Grilled dishes in Sapa are simple affairs such as grilled corn, grilled sweet potato, eggs, and chestnut to many kinds of meat such as chicken, pork, salmon or beef.

The ideal time to enjoy grilled dishes in Sapa is at nighttime when the town is blanked in mist, winds blow straight through tourists’ hair as they sit near to the fire stoves to rub their hands and warm their face. At that time, the fragrance from grills and seduction from the smoke will make diners lick their lips, along with the aroma of many indigenous vegetables.

In the past, the grilled dishes in Sapa seemed to attract only local tourists but now it lures many foreigners. The business brings more financial benefit for ethnic people.

It is very easy to find grilled eateries in Sapa as there are hundreds of small restaurants from the church to Cong Doan Hotel and on the way to Ham Rong tourist area in Sapa Town.

 

A man prepares grilled dishes for tourists in Sapa

Vietnamese cuisines stir the world in 2012

Bringing rice and bacon, an omelet with Vietnamese flavour in the final round of the MasterChef US, has won blind girl Christine Ha the championship. Vietnamese cuisines also set many records in 2012.

1. Christine Ha becomes MasterChef US 2012

In September 2012, Christine Ha – of Vietnamese-origin, 33-year-old blind girl from the University of Houston won the top spot of the MasterChef US, third season. Ha defeated 24-year-old chef Josh Marks to win the final prize worth $250,000 in cash, a cookbook publishing contract and the MasterChef trophy.

In the finale, Christine Ha and Josh Marks had to prepare three dishes in two hours. Josh Marks chose lobster poached in butter, lamb with sauce of curry and vegetable and bacon pecan cake. Christine Ha made Thai papaya crab salad, rice with bacon, omelet with Vietnamese flavor and ginger and coconut cream.

The meal was described by Christine Ha as "a symphony of flavors." They are simply but made the jury was surprised. Many Vietnamese dishes were also introduced by Ha at the MasterChef.

2. 10 Vietnamese dishes recognized as Asian records

On August 20, in Faridabad, Indian, the Asian Organization Record recognized 10 Vietnamese dishes as the Asian records based on the criteria for Asian Cuisine Value. 

Among them, Hanoi contributed three famous dishes - pho, bun thang and bun cha. HCM City had broken rice and goi cuon. The remaining dishes consist of Haiphong’s crab pancake; Ninh Binh’s rice crust; Nghe An’s eel vermicelli; Hue’s beef vermicelli; Quang Nam’s noodles; Gia Lai’s dried noodle; and Vung Tau’s khot cake.

3. 50 Vietnamese famous specialties

In September, in the "First journey to search Vietnam’s specialties 2012" held by the Vietnam Record Book Center, 50 dishes of various regions in the country were listed as the popular specialties of Vietnam.

Hanoi contributes six cuisines to this list, Thua Thien - Hue 5, Ho Chi Minh City 3, Quang Nam 2, Quang Ngai 2, Ca Mau 2, etc.

On this list, in addition to the familiar dishes such as: broken rice, vermicelli and grilled chopped meat, Hue’s beef vermicelli and goi cuon, there are some very strange cusines such as: Binh Thuan’s hotpot, Nghe An’s eel soup, Lai Chau’s six cuisines from pork...

4. Ho Chi Minh City’s street food praised

In the top 10 cities in the world with the most attractive street food, selected by the Vancouversun (Canada) in August 2012, Ho Chi Minh City ranked sixth. Asia also contributed 3 other representatives -Penang (Malaysia), Bangkok (Thailand) and Singapore.

According to this newspaper, the art of cooking of the Vietnamese goes into the memories of many western tourists, especially street food. Just a short tour around the Ben Thanh market to Binh Tay Market, visitors are able to find the answer why people are fascinated by street food here so much. Street food in Saigon is a mixture of many different culinary cultures, especially the French taste based on the traditional flavors and ingredients of the Vietnamese.

5. Vietnam's 10 most valuable fruit

In the "First search of Vietnamese specialties" in August 2012, the Vietnam Record Book Center listed the top 10 delicious fruits of the country. These fruits are granted the "Certificate of trademark registration" by the Intellectual Property Office.

These fruits are very familiar and famous: Lo Ren star apple (Tien Giang province); Thanh Ha litchi (Hai Duong); Vung Tau’s litchi with yellow flesh; Ben Tre’s green skin grapefruit; Binh Thuan’s papaya; Hung Yen’s longan.

The criteria for selection of the best fruit are not only delicious, but also meet the standard for export. 

Source: dtinews

Vietnam welcomes nearly seven million foreign visitors

Vietnam has this year welcomed more than 6.84 million foreign visitors, a year-on-year rise of 9.5%, with arrivals from traditional markets remaining high.

 

The number of international arrivals in the nation this year is 340,000 higher than earlier estimated by the tourism industry. However, the 2012 growth rate at 9.5% is lower than the 19.1% in 2011 over 2010.

China and Russia are the two markets showing considerable changes in 2012.

China has still captured the top position, but arrivals from the neighboring nation in 2012 have increased a mere 8% year-on-year to 1.4 million, while the growth rate last year was a staggering 56.5%.

The Russian market only ranks 12th among the top visitor-generating markets but the number of tourists from this market has jumped 71.5% year-on-year to more than 174,000, most of them coming for short-term holidays in coastal cities.

At the moment, flights connecting Russia with the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa or HCMC are operational almost every day to serve Russian visitors on their winter holidays.

Many provinces have announced the 2012 reports on international arrivals. According to the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the city this year has welcomed some 3.8 million foreign tourists, a rise of 10% over the year-ago period.

The central province of Binh Dinh has seen over 341,000 international arrivals, soaring 13.5% over 2011. Khanh Hoa Province reported 528,000 foreign travelers in the locality, marking up nearly 20% year-on-year, while the northern province of Quang Ninh has recorded around 2.4 million foreign visitors.

Hue plans new services at heritage complex

 

 

The central province of Thua Thien – Hue has adopted a programme on developing new services in the ancient imperial city of Hue, with the aim of attracting even more tourists to the world heritage site. 

Under the programme, the province will offer transport services using environmentally-friendly vehicles like bicycles, electric cars, horse-drawn carriages and boats, to tourists to travel between attractions in the city. 

At Vong Canh hill, which overlooks Perfume River, a pavilion will be built following the traditional architectural style of Hue and telescopes installed to give visitors a chance to fully enjoy the scenery. There will be tours bringing tourists from Vong Canh to other sites such as Nam Giao altar, Ho Quyen (tiger fighting) arena – Voi Re temple, tombs of Hieu Dong, Thieu Tri and Cao Hoang, and Hon Chen temple. 

By late December, Hue welcomed nearly 2 million visitors, earning a record 100 billion VND from sight-seeing fees and services. 

The complex of royal relics in Hue was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. The city was the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 until 1945.

Source: VNA

 

Hanoi – an ideal city to discover

Hanoi has been rated best destination in Vietnam for city life by Lonely Planet Traveller, the world’s leading tourist magazine.

 

The magazine said that Hanoi is a “millennium-old capital of crumbling pagodas and labyrinthine streets, now undergoing a werewolf-like transformation into a 21st-century Asian metropolis.

The city’s Old Quarter, which covers nearly 100 hectares and includes almost 1,000 old houses, is extremely valuable to local people, commerce, culture and the city’s architecture. Its old buildings reflect the city’s different architectural styles during each period of its history.

Besides Hanoi , the magazine picked Sapa in northern mountainous Lao Cai province as the best place for walking. Ha Long Bay, a World Natural Heritage site in northern Quang Ninh province, was selected best for coast; Hoi An, a World Cultural Heritage site in the central region, as best for food; and the Mekong Delta in the south as best for river life.

Ealier, Hanoi and Hoi An also made the 2012 top 10 attractive destinations in Asia, as chosen by Smart Travel Asia, a Hong Kong online tourist magazine.

Vietnam one of attractive destinations for tourists in 2013

Vietnam ranked second in the list of attractive destinations for foreign tourists in 2013, according to a recent survey conducted by the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA).

 

Ha Long Bay

The results were announced at the USTOA’s annual conference in Hawaii on December 25.

Myanmar, Vietnam, and India are three most-favoured destinations, followed by Peru, Cambodia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ecuador.

In the USTOA’s 2012 survey, Vietnam tops India, Ecuador, and China in the list of emerging tourist attractions.

Since the beginning of this year, Vietnam has welcomed more than 6.6 million foreign visitors, up 9.6 percent over last year.

The USTOA consists of major travel agents and tourism service providers around the globe.

Dien Bien deploys community-based tourism type in the ethnic villages

 

 

With plentiful tourism resources, the complex of Dien Bien Phu Victory historical relics and unique, diverse cultural identity of 21 ethnic groups, Dien Bien has many potentials to develop community-based tourism type associated with history. 

In 2004, the province began to build community-based tourism model in 8 cultural villages in Dien Bien District and Dien Bien Phu City including Noong Bua, Co My, Ten, U Va, Pe Luong, Phieng Loi, Him Lam 2 and Men. Each village also established a team of 15 – 20 people to guide; serve cuisine, arts and ensure security for tourists.

Policy of community-based tourism development in the cultural villages is a good condition to improve material and spiritual life for locals, at the same time preserve and promote cultural identity. Therefore, many households renovated and upgraded actively their houses, especially toilets, breeding facilities; restored traditional crafts and festivals; participated in culture and arts activities… Previously, villagers’ economic life was difficult but now it has been significantly improved thanks to community-based tourism.

To Thai ethnic villages in Dien Bien, tourists will have opportunity to participate in daily activities with the villagers; enjoy rustic foods with mountainous flavor as grilled fish and meet, forest bamboo… and spices in the Northwest region only as cham cheo, mac khen… When night falls, by the flickering fire, tourists will be enjoyed unique art programs with specific songs and dances of Thai people.

Besides the achievements, community-based tourism activity in Dien Bien still faces many problems in need of solution such as all tourism villages are Thai ethnic people’s, identical services (cuisine and art), there is no special tourism products; tourism management staff in the villages still lack of experience in implementing community-based tourism development…

To overcome those problems and create more plentiful, attractive tourism products, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dien Bien Province has set up the project “Building cultural villages to 2015”, of which 10 cultural villages located in importance tourist routes and associated with Thai, Hmong, Lao, Kho Mu ethnic groups… in districts of Tuan Giao, Dien Bien, Muong Cha and Dien Bien Phu City were chosen to set up. After being invested and built, the villages will strive to welcome and serve annually 10-15% total number of tourist to Dien Bien Province. Particularly, in 2015, the villages will welcome 55,000 tourist arrivals, of which international tourists are 12,000 arrivals; each village will welcome averagely over 4,000 tourist arrivals per year (20% as international tourists); the average length of stay is 1 - 1.2 days per tourist arrival. To achieve this goal, Dien Bien will focus on investing, constructing works to serve tourists; restoring traditional crafts to produce souvenirs; training service skills for the villagers…

Along with other provinces in the Northern mountainous region, Dien Bien is exploiting gradually its potentials and advantages to develop community-based tourism type, create opportunities for people to benefit from resources, culture and landscapes. This is the right direction which not only improves the villagers’ life but also contributes to conserving, preserving and promoting unique traditional values of ethnic minority people in Dien Bien.

Source: VNTNews

 

Hanoi – an ideal city to discover

Hanoi has been rated best destination in Vietnam for city life by Lonely Planet Traveller, the world’s leading tourist magazine.

 

The magazine said that Hanoi is a “millennium-old capital of crumbling pagodas and labyrinthine streets, now undergoing a werewolf-like transformation into a 21st-century Asian metropolis.

The city’s Old Quarter, which covers nearly 100 hectares and includes almost 1,000 old houses, is extremely valuable to local people, commerce, culture and the city’s architecture. Its old buildings reflect the city’s different architectural styles during each period of its history.

Besides Hanoi , the magazine picked Sapa in northern mountainous Lao Cai province as the best place for walking. Ha Long Bay, a World Natural Heritage site in northern Quang Ninh province, was selected best for coast; Hoi An, a World Cultural Heritage site in the central region, as best for food; and the Mekong Delta in the south as best for river life.

Ealier, Hanoi and Hoi An also made the 2012 top 10 attractive destinations in Asia, as chosen by Smart Travel Asia, a Hong Kong online tourist magazine.

Lam Dong lures Japanese capital into agriculture, tourism

 

 

Lam Dong Province’s government in an investment promotion seminar held in HCMC on Monday called for Japanese capital into its advantageous areas namely tourism services and agriculture. This event attracted around 130 local and international enterprises with two-thirds from Japan.

Nguyen Xuan Tien, chairman of Lam Dong Province, said that the Central Highlands province has many projects in the tourism and high-tech agriculture sectors. Meanwhile, Japanese enterprises have showed a strong interest in the investment environment of Vietnam.

Seven projects were introduced to Japanese investors in this seminar, focusing on the fields of travel, culture, sports and high-tech agriculture.

The province also introduced to investors the Dau Giay-Lien Khuong expressway project that connects Lam Dong with Dong Nai Province. The road is expected to stretch around 200 kilometers with the total investment of US$2.5 billion.

Tien said the province attaches much importance to the expressway project. If the project gets rolling, it will be easier for the province to lure local and overseas investment capital and speed up economic development.

Japan’s Consul General in HCMC, Hida Harumitsu, said that there is increasing investment of Japanese investors in Vietnam. Japanese capital accounted for roughly a half of the total foreign direct investment capital into the country in the January-November period.

Japanese firms have been shifting business into foreign markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand due to problems of the domestic market like Japanese yen appreciation, labor scarcity, high labor cost and the shrinking consumption market.

Vietnam in general and Lam Dong Province in particular should seize this opportunity to lure more Japanese capital flow, Harumitsu said.

Tien at the seminar pledged to continue improving investment and business environment in Lam Dong Province and supporting investors. The province will focus on completing infrastructures and manpower training.

Lam Dong will simplify administrative procedures to create favorable conditions for enterprises and investors, Tien added. The province will also tackle difficulties in land, capital access and site clearance to help speed up projects.

Besides preferential polices offered by the central Government, Lam Dong Province has launched many incentives for investors, especially those in the fields of vocational training, high-tech agriculture, farm produce processing and building material production.

Source: SGT

 

Foreigners enjoy first Christmas in Vietnam

 

Every corner of Hanoi is sparkling with the atmosphere of Christmas celebrations, the cheer being carried along by not only local residents but also international friends for the first time in the cold holiday season.

Christmas is known as Noel in Vietnam. Many young couples consider Vietnam an ideal place for Christmas celebrations with family members and friends.

Danish tourist Emma says “Vietnam will be my first Christmas without snow away from home. Although things are likely to be very different from what I am familiar with, I am looking forward to seeing how the event is celebrated here,” she says.

In Hanoi’s old quarter, Russian tourist Andrei, who has bought a large volume of beer along with his decorations, explains to his Vietnamese friends, “The food is better and the beer is cheaper in Vietnam.”

 “This is my first Christmas in Vietnam,” says Andrei, “Local food and beer will add a distinctively Vietnamese flavour to the Christmas party.”

Haru Sato from Japan says he has not yet welcomed Christmas despite his long stay here. “I am not religious but I love the holy atmosphere in Vietnam, and wish all a better life in future,” he says.

Having just arrived in Hanoi, Singh Mehra, an Indian tourist, is very impressed by its colourful streets and decorated churches. “Christmas services are advertised every where, even Santa Claus gift delivery,” she says.

After checking into her hotel, she arms herself with a camera and heads for the Hanoi Cathedral, to capture the excitement building up to Christmas Eve.

”The Vietnamese people are very friendly. They tell me a lot about their traditional customs and what they often do during the Christmas holiday. For most of them, Christmas Eve is a delightful evening,” says Mehra.

French businessman Frank Daniel says his girlfriend has accompanied him to Vietnam to enjoy Christmas celebrations and see how young Vietnamese couples show their love. “My girlfriend is very excited to visit the beautiful S-shaped country. We plan to visit Mui Ne, a beautiful resort not far from Ho Chi Minh City,” he says.

If local Christmas celebrations are not in the fullest sense of the meaning, the presence of many international friends is sure to bring great joy to Vietnam.

Source: VOV

 

HCM City shines bright to welcome New Year

Lately the streets of HCM City have been lit up with lights and flowers to welcome the coming year.

The city has planned various events to mark the occasion, decorating the streets to give a bit of extra cheer.

HCM City will focus on artistic light decoration at Park 23/9, President Ho Chi Minh Monument Park and Mong Bridge.

Streets including Le Duan, Dong Khoi, Nguyen Hue, Le Loi and Le Thanh Ton have already been coloured with lights.

  

 

Streets lit up

 

Hat-shaped light

 

Walking through the streets

 

 

Lights made of apricot flowers

200 Santa Clauses welcome Christmas in Hanoi

More than 200 members of a laughter yoga club, most of them women, attended a Hanoi Christmas festival wearing Santa Claus costumes on December 23.

They began their warm-up exercises by laughing loudly, following their instructors’ examples. The funny atmosphere and intriguing movements spread cheer to all passers-by.

A UK foreigner and a disabled Vietnamese also attended the event.

The event aims to welcome a festive Christmas for all the club’s members.

Laughing yoga was brought to Vietnam from India 20 years ago under the instruction of Le Anh Son, the club’s chairman.

Practitioners laugh out loud to expel the air from their stomachs, breathe deeply, and maintain eye contact with fellow practitioners while continuing the discipline’s exercises.

Some more photos of the event:

Korean tourist ad shows up domestic tour operator shortcomings

Vietnam's beauty spots in Hue, Nha Trang and Danang have been highlighted in a short video by a South Korean travel firm.

 

The clip about Nha Trang features two South Korean girls leisurely riding on bicycles, exploring the coast and many beauty spots in Nha Trang such as Long Son Pagoda, Po Nagar Tower or Hon Tam Island.

Besides the introduction of luxury spas or hotels, sugarcane juice and other street foods and the normal daily life of the local people all feature in the video.

People commenting on the videos also expressed their concerns about the domestic tourism sector.

"These clips have beautifully shown off Nha Trang and Danang. Why can't local travel agents do this?" a viewer commented.

Another said, "Our adverts are so outdated. They make our country's beauty spots much less attractive. Making these ads isn’t difficult and definitely doesn't need much funding."

Although the video has been praised for its film work, its choice of an Irish traditional tune for the soundtrack is slightly strange.

Nha Trang promotional video

Danang Promotional video

Best places to enjoy Christmas in Ha noi

Christmas is popular in Vietnam nowadays, however, only in big cities or tourist destinations, there will be a lot of activities to celebrate Christmas. From the beginning of December, all the streets in big cities are decorated with the Noel’s patterns. Besides, hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and amusement parts also give a lot of activities which will be take place during the time of Christmas holiday.

The weather in December is cold, it’s suitable for Christmas atmosphere. In  Hanoi, there are a lot of places for you to enjoy Christmas:

Central Churches

Almost each district has one church, however, people usually come to Saint Joseph Cathedral (“Nhà thờ lớn” in Vietnamese) at 40 Nha Trung, Hoan Kiem. This is a wonderful place to enjoy your Christmas night.

Old Quarter

It is colorful and crowded in Christmas holiday. Especially, tourists like to visit Hang Ma street where you can find any necessary things for your decoration in the Christmas tree or your house. You can also find numerous gifts and cards here with the diverse and  unique styles and kinds. The streets will be full of things relating Christmas from the beginning of December so you can visit here if you want to enjoy Christmas atmosphere sooner.

Lakes

Hanoi has a lot of lakes, however there are two famous ones named Hoan Kiem Lake and  West Lake. These places attracts tourists when coming to Vietnam, even not in any holiday.

Hotels and Restaurants

Most of hotels and restaurants will celebrate Christmas with the different  activities from parties to music show. With the high-star hotels and restaurants, they usually offer the most luxury buffet party and hilarious music performance and give the presents for the guests.

Shopping malls, supermarkets and markets

There will be a chance to go shopping because most of shopping malls, supermarkets and  markets will have the big promotional campaign in this occasion with hundreds of new arrivals and numerous of goods are discounted.

Art shows and new films

On Christmas Eve or some days before, there are a lot of program under the theme Christmas for children, the youth, etc. People also like to go to the movie theater to enjoy the new films about Christmas. Besides, in the international organizations and universities, there are a lot of activities celebrated in Christmas Eve or some nights before. That will be free for all people to come and join.

Historic war bunker opens to tourists

A secret war bunker used by leaders of the Vietnam People's Army between 1965-75 has been opened to the public for the first time.
The bunker, located in the Thang Long Citadel Complex in downtown Hanoi, was built in 1966 with cement blocks weighing a total of 1,000 cubic metres and it has been claimed that it can provide shelter from atomic bombs. About 300 soldiers were mobilised to work on its construction. It was hidden beneath a communications department building, which was intentionally destroyed in order to mislead the enemy's bombers.

From under the piles of brick, military leaders worked day and night to protect the north and surrounding regions. They were stationed in the bunker throughout the American attacks in the north and they planned strategy there during the 12 days and nights of heavy US bombing in Christmas 1972.

The Thang Long Heritage Protection Centre has fixed the damaged air ventilation, electricity and contacting systems for tourism purposes.

Enjoying thot not in Van Giao

Thot not (coconut palm) trees are an integral part of the Khmer community in Van Giao Commune, Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province. The area also attracts many tourists to witness locals making coconut palm sugar and have the opportunity to enjoy thot not fruit.

 

A woman cooks thot not sugar in Van Giao Commune in Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province - Photos: Huy Nguyen 

From Chau Doc, tourists can take a motorcycle taxi or bus, passing Nha Bang Town then Ket Mountain and Tra Su Forest eco-tourism park. If tourists see immense rice fields surrounded by large trees and small teashops selling thot not fruit juice and round sugar pieces nearby, it means they have reached the coconut palm sugar-making village in Van Giao Commune.

Thot not trees grow in fields, and seen from the outside they look a little like coconut trees but bigger and bolder. Thot not leaves are very big and solid and its fruit is black, round pieces sticking into clusters and is very sweet and fragrant.

To make thot not sugar, locals climb up the tree to splint the flowers to extract water and use bamboo pipes to take the water. The water then will be cooked for about two hours and will become solid later and thus people call it thot not sugar. The sugar is sweet and gives eaters a real delectable aroma.

Traders will come to local houses to buy the water and then make them into round shapes and put it in booths for sale at home and abroad.

Coming to the area, tourists will also be served thot not fruit juice. It is very tasty and cool and ideal to help you for the rest of your journey, so don’t forget to try it once.

Near the area is Cam (Forbidden) Mountain where tourists can trek to up to explore nature and admire old architecture and culture in old pagodas.

Vietnam is home to some of the best spots in the world for adventure travel

Imagine a country where the major cities are dynamic but not polluted, the people are genuinely friendly and the rural areas are still unspoilt?  Vietnam with unique climate, fascinating history, stunning coastal getaways, majestic mountains and tempting food is definitely the country for you!

Your first stop is Ha Noi, the city  with the history of r oughly 1,000 years. Must see destination is the Old Quarter which eventually retains most of its ancient charm since French colonial period. Let’s enjoy the quite time with a cup of Vietnamese iced coffee in a very unique way which is served on the balcony of the coffee shop and be prepared for up-coming challenge!

Leaving the major city, cycling routes across the Karst plateau of Ha Giang will amazed you. The route is very tough and tricky, and the mountain pathways are almost vertical in places. The landscape and natural conditions across the 1,600m above sea level area offer the perfect conditions for memorable experiences.

Different from classical travelling tour, you will experience it in an untypical way. Local cuisine will astonish you! Ethnic men are also willing to teach you cooking their special food. As for accommodation, you will surely love to stay with a local family on their colorful tribes. To pass through place to place, you are going to do as a local person on your own foot or bikes. Be reminded that the area’s landscape is Karst plateau with numerous limestone mountains! 

Remote track can’t pass through mountains so that you will have to cross 45-km- pathway to Viet Nam yourselves by cycling. With  the emergency backup for water, lunch and first-aid, you will ride through  secluded valleys, verdant hills, hidden  waterfall and switchbacks, which flows seamlessly into some sinuous riverside single track making for fantastic riding. Eventually emerge onto rough tarmac and climb before finally dropping down again to the hot springs of Viet Nam, where you can ease our aching muscles.

Not for everyone, not forever

From the madness of Hanoi to the untamed beauty of Ha Giang -- each of our destinations offered a unique glimpse into Vietnamese culture. It's not for everyone, but for those willing to brave the unknown, the country is ripe with untapped adventures.

Hurry though. Sprawling resorts are popping up, and the booming tourism business has many young people learning how to cater to the nuances of Western culture more often than celebrating their own. Vietnam is a country on the cusp. In another decade, it may be a cookie-cutter tourist oasis. But for now, the spirit of Vietnam remains.

Travel Facts:

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) offers a wide selection of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia adventure tours, including hiking and trekking, biking, motorcycling, kayaking, overland touring and family travel packages. For more information, please contact us for tailoring your very own tour via :

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) Telephone: +844 3573 8569 Fax:        +844 3573 8570 Email: info@activetravel.asia Website:      http://www.activetravelvietnam.com        http://www.activetravelcambodia.com http://www.activetravellaos.com Address: Floor 12 Building 45 Nguyen Son Street, Long Bien district, Hanoi, Vietnam.

ACTIVE TRAVEL SHOP Telephone: + 84- 9798- 00588. Email:shop@activetravelshop.com Website:   http://www.activetravelshop.com Address:No 9 Hang Buom Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Viet Nam.

http://www.activetravelvietnam.com/tour.php?op=detail&tourId=20

Photos recall Hanoi’s 12 days and nights in 1972

Forty years ago these days Hanoi, Haiphong and many other cities in North Vietnam were severely devastated by relentless aerial bombardments of the US.

The following photos recall the 12 days and nights when the capital of Hanoi was fiercely bombarded by the US Air Force, as well as the strong resistance from Hanoians.

On December 14, 1972 President Nixon approved an air attack plan targeting Hanoi and Haiphong

The US Air Force launched air raids, using B-52 Stratofortresses, long-range, supersonic, jet-powered strategic bombers. In the photo, B-52 bombers completely ruined Bach Mai hospital in Hanoi

The Me Tri radio signal transmitter station of Radio the Voice of Vietnam was hit on the night of December 18.

 

Kham Thien street in Hanoi fell into ruin on the night of December 26. A total of 278 people were killed, mostly women, the elderly and children

 

People were evacuated to safe areas

Personal roadside bomb shelters were put up along streets

The US air raids received strong resistance from Vietnamese people. In the photo, artillery soldiers were on standby

The Sao Do (Red Star) air unit contributed to the victory of the battle

Hero Pham Tuan flew Mic-21 and downed a B-52 bomber

An American pilot was arrested on Truc Bach lake in Hanoi

American pilots were treated well in prison. In the photo, a daily meal for arrested pilots at Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi

The failure of the air raids forced the US and its henchmen to sit down at the negotiating table in 1973 and sign the Paris Peace Agreement, putting an end to the war in Vietnam. In the photo, Nguyen Thi Binh, Foreign Minister of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam, penned the agreement on January 27, 1973.

 

US pilots were handed over at Gia Lam airport in Hanoi